Chapter 91: Unique Insight

The warehouse was silent. Murphy focused intently on the set. Director of Photography Phil Lacher stood beside the bathtub against the wall, camera lens aimed through the murky water, locking onto Seth Rogen.

The bathtub shook violently, water splashing everywhere. Seth Rogen suddenly sat up, coughing heavily, mouth wide open, and unexpectedly spat out a mouthful of water, hitting Phil Lacher squarely, camera included.

"Cut!" Murphy called out. "What happened?"

Seth Rogen continued coughing for a while before standing up, leaning on the tub, and looking apologetically at Phil Lacher. "Sorry, I got up too quickly and accidentally opened my mouth, and water got in."

Phil Lacher waved it off, indicating it was fine. Murphy shouted, "Jack, touch up Seth's makeup. Phil, readjust the camera. We'll go again in ten minutes."

This opening scene was meant to start in darkness, though it wouldn't be filmed in the dark. Hollywood rarely shoots scenes in actual darkness; lighting is always crucial. For Murphy's scene, the background would be adjusted to black during post-production using a Da Vinci color grading system—a simple task with current movie-making technology.

Seth Rogen, after choking on water in the first take, performed normally in the second.

But Murphy didn't approve the take, making Rogen repeat the bathtub scene three more times before wrapping up the shot.

Unlike filming "Hard Candy," Murphy was now more experienced. He anticipated the challenges and had James Franco and Seth Rogen do extensive rehearsals. The hired crew was also more competent than the previous set. The morning's scenes were shot smoothly, most within five takes.

By noon, they had completed six scenes, marking the highest efficiency in Murphy's brief directing career.

However, the pace slowed in the afternoon. When James Franco joined, the scene involved three characters in the bathroom: Franco as the doctor, Seth Rogen as the voyeur, and a dummy of Jigsaw lying on the floor.

Jigsaw was a detailed dummy crafted by Baker Clibert since no movement was required.

This was the first scene with all three characters together. After two takes failing to meet Murphy's expectations, he paused the entire crew.

Murphy called Phil Lacher over. "In this scene, we need to deliberately ignore Jigsaw in the shots."

By ignoring Jigsaw in the frame, the final cut would lead the audience to overlook him, enhancing the shock of the climax.

The film's ending was crucial, elevating the movie. Without it, the film would just be another typical American gore fest.

Murphy carefully avoided the blood on the floor and explained to Phil Lacher, "In this scene, we need to emphasize two characters while ignoring one."

"If we focus on two characters and avoid involving the third, emphasizing a single relationship line," Phil Lacher suggested, "there are two approaches: partial emphasis and full emphasis."

He elaborated, "Partial emphasis shows all three actors in the first primary shot but only two in the second. Full emphasis shifts from a three-way relationship to a two-way, highlighting two main actors."

Murphy considered and said, "Let's try both methods."

Filming both ways would offer more options during post-production.

Phil Lacher prepared for the shoot, while Murphy briefed lighting technician David Robie on adjusting the lighting for James Franco and Seth Rogen's close-ups to highlight their expressions.

Unlike the soft eye light used for Carey Mulligan in "Hard Candy," Murphy wanted a harsher light to accentuate the characters' alertness and panic upon waking in an unfamiliar environment.

Eye light is used in nearly all actor close-ups in films.

When the main or fill light naturally provides eye light, there's no need for additional lighting, avoiding double highlights that can distract.

If the main or fill light doesn't provide eye light, a small lamp near the camera or a large soft light source can be used, ensuring it doesn't affect the primary lighting.

Unless specifically needed, Murphy preferred subtle eye light to avoid double highlights, which could ruin the character's expression and even create a cataract-like effect.

This technique is also used to portray blindness, where avoiding eye light helps actors depict the character's vacant gaze.

From filming "Hard Candy," Murphy developed a habit of observing light and angles to quickly identify flaws in the shot.

After filming several partial and full emphasis shots, the crew moved on to individual scenes for James Franco and Seth Rogen. While setting up for close-ups, Murphy appreciated that the money spent on hiring a CAA-recommended lighting technician was well worth it. Even though they were relatively unknown, they were highly skilled.

Phil Lacher also had a unique method for checking eye light.

His method was simple: standing on set, he would clench his hand, place a marble under his index finger, and observe the reflection, similar to human eye reflections. By rotating his hand, he could see the light changes on the marble, finding the needed position and angle.

The hand's curves and lines also revealed contrast and backlighting effects.

After a busy day, Murphy announced the end of the workday. However, he stayed back, reviewing the day's footage with Phil Lacher and editor Jodie Griffiths.

James Franco wanted to join but was shooed away by Murphy.

Like most directors, unless an actor made significant errors needing on-the-spot correction, Murphy didn't allow them to review the footage freely.